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New Orleans Guide 1994
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NEW ORLEANS: ROMANTIC, ABSURD,
ECCENTRIC, ALWAYS CHARMING,
POTENTIALLY ADDICTIVE
A GUIDE TO THE SIGHTS, MUSIC, FOOD AND HOTELS
OF NEW ORLEANS
Copyright 1994 By LAN SLUDER
In New Orleans, you can eat some of the best food in America at some of the
worst-looking dives, stroll 300-year-old streets in a wild gumbo of tropical smells,
exotic sounds and graceful courtyards, hear authentic local music at a bowling
alley or in a funeral parade, play craps on a riverboat, tour voodoo haunts and
╘gator swamps, or just enjoy the romance of the city╒s Spanish, French,
Caribbean, African -- and even American -- history.
It╒s a town where the streets are named in a fractured Franglais, strangers
will call you ╥darlin╒ ╙ and one of the local accents sounds likes exactly like
Brooklynese.
In the City That Care Forgot, the roaches are as big as tablespoons, and three
different types of termites are eating the city╒s old buildings from the inside out.
When it rains in New Orleans, and it rains a lot in what some call the Northern
Coast of the Caribbean, the streets can run hip-deep in water, for the entire city is
below sea level and water has to be pumped out. In the hot, humid months (all
but October to March or April) you may feel as if someone dropped a damp
electric blanket over your entire body, with the heat turned up to I Can╒t Stand It.
You╒ll get frustrated with the city╒s absurdities, then fall in love with its
dreams. New Orleans is romantic, eccentric, occasionally dangerous, always
charming, unfailingly interesting, and possibly addictive.
New Orleans by Osmosis
New Orleans, like the great cities of Europe, is best experienced by osmosis,
not bus tours. It is a city for being, for hanging out, as well as doing and seeing.
The French Quarter remains the heart of New Orleans, and for travelers it is
one of the most accessible destinations anywhere. First-time visitors to New
Orleans, especially, are well-advised to find lodging in the Quarter if possible.
Compact, only seven blocks wide and thirteen blocks deep, there╒s life, love and
laughter to see on every corner.
The best way to experience the Quarter is on foot -- traffic is bad, parking is
difficult and expensive -- stopping often to window shop, or to sip a cold drink at a
cafe. While it has lost some recent ground to T-shirt shops and other vulgarities,
the Vieux CarrÄ -- Old Square -- as New Orleanians usually refer to it, remains a
vibrant neighborhood, not just a tourist center, with thousands of full-time
residents. It even has its own supermarket, school and hardware store, as well
as hotels and restaurants. Former residents of the Quarter include John James
Audubon, William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams, whose inspiration for the
Streetcar Named Desire now sits behind the Old U.S. Mint.
An early morning walk in the Quarter gives the visitor a new perspective on
it, as shop owners clean their sidewalks and sleepy residents head out to work in
the adjacent Central Business District. At night, Bourbon and nearby streets are
alive with music and packed with gawkers.
Must-sees in the Quarter include Jackson Square, with its flocks of pigeons
and portrait artists; the buildings which anchor Jackson Square on three sides,
St. Louis Cathedral, (free) dating from 1794, the Presbytere (adults $3) and
Cabildo, ($3) recently reopened after repairs from a fire, and the Pontalba
Buildings, row houses completed in 1851; the French Market, which dates from
the early 19th century. Also, the Aquarium of the Americas, ($8.75) on the
Mississippi River, with four habitats including a Caribbean reef and a Gulf of
Mexico oil rig; Historic New Orleans Collection, ($2) a private museum at 533
Royal; Gallier House, ($4) 1132 Royal, worth touring even if you don╒t like to tour
museum homes; Girod House, 500 Chartres (pronounced Chart-ers), a French
building from 1794 which today houses an excellent bar, Napoleon House; the
Ursiline Convent, (open by appointment) 1114 Chartres, completed in 1753 and the
oldest building in New Orleans and the only one to survive from the period of
French Dominion; the Old U.S. Mint ($3) houses Jazz and Mardi Gras exhibits
(note: Mardi Gras, New Orleans╒ most-famous party, in 1995 will be February 28);
and Woldenberg Riverfront Park, (free) a pleasant place to enjoy the Mississippi.
Throughout the Vieux CarrÄ are lovely courtyards. Most are private, but
those in hotels such as the Maison de Ville and restaurants such as the Court of
Two Sisters can be enjoyed by visitors.
Free, interesting, and very popular are the walking tours of the French
Quarter put on by the National Park Service. Sign up in advance and meet at the
Park Service office in the French Market. Commercial tours also are available.
The ╥Other╙ New Orleans
There╒s more to New Orleans, though, than the French Quarter. The best
way to see the ╥other╙ New Orleans begins with a ride Uptown on the St. Charles
streetcar line. ($1 exact change, $4 for a one-day pass, $8 for a 3-day pass, good for
unlimited rides on any streetcar or bus.) The Red Ladies ($1) are another set of
streetcars which go along the Mississippi River from the Convention Center to the
Quarter. The dark green St. Charles electric streetcars -- never call them trolleys
-- wend their way from Canal Street and the Central Business District up ╥the
Avenue╙ and then S. Carrollton, a total of almost seven miles one-way, where
they reverse their seats for the trip back. Uptown contains both some of the most
beautiful residential areas in the South, with gorgeous Victorian homes of 20 or 30
rooms, and some of the worst slums and housing projects in New Orleans.
Consider getting off at about First Street for a walking tour of the Upper
Garden District. Full of fine old homes, the Garden District stretches on the
River side of St. Charles for the 15 blocks from Jackson to Louisiana avenues.
Another good place to disembark is around the 6400 block of St. Charles, the
university area. Stroll the campuses of Tulane and Loyola universities, and,
across the street, Audubon Park, (free) with its lagoons and centuries-old live
oaks, lined with Uptown homes, one of loveliest urban parks in America. At the
far end of Audubon Park, across Magazine Street, is the Audubon Zoo, ($7.50)
usually considered among the top five zoos in the U.S., and worth seeing not just
for its 1,500 animals but for the charming old red brick buildings set among the
banana trees and Spanish moss. If you like, you can take the John James
Audubon riverboat ($8.50 one-way) back to the Quarter.
For a longer riverboat ride, the Cajun Queen and the Creole Queen are
options. The Natchez ($14.75) is one of only five real river steamboats now
operating in the U.S., and the only one in New Orleans. After a steam calliope
serenade, she goes down river seven miles and comes up past the dock another
mile or so to the twin Greater New Orleans bridges. As you proceed down river,
you╒ll see cargo and cruise ship wharves and Chalmette Battlefield, site of the
Battle of New Orleans where Andrew Jackson defeated the British in 1815.
Coming back upriver, the Natchez offers views of any ships at anchorage, the city
skyline and the 1984 World╒s Fair site.
Swamp tours ($25 to $50) on small boats, are also popular. Tour operators,
such as Honey Island Swamp Tour in Slidell, run by a noted ecologist, will send a
van to your hotel to pick you up.
If you have time, a trip to plantation is another way to experience Louisiana╒s
ante-bellum history. Among the finest plantation homes near New Orleans, in
order of proximity from the city, are Destrehan, San Francisco, Oak Alley,
Tezcuco, Houmas House and Madewood.
Other sites of interest in the New Orleans area include Longue Vue House
Gardens ($6), the New Orleans Museum of Art ($4) in City Park, the Louisiana
Nature and Science Center ($4), K&B art collection at K&B Plaza (free), Louisiana
Children╒s Museum ($3), and the SuperDome (tours, $5). You may not go to New
Orleans for education, but Creole cooking classes get rave reviews. Daily classes
are held at New Orleans School of Cooking, Jackson Brewery. And you can eat
what you create!
Gaming has returned to this old-time riverboat gambling city in a big way. As
of this writing, two water-based casinos are open, and others are planned. The
Queen is on the Mississippi River at the Hilton near the Convention Center. The
Star is on Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The boats
may, or may not, leave the docks, depending on water conditions. The world╒s
largest land-based casino is planned for the New Orleans CBD, but politics being
what they are in New Orleans, the opening dates for both the temporary and
permanent facilities are problematical. The city also is filled with video poker
houses.
Shopping in New Orleans run the gamut from the funky junque stores on
Magazine Street to the antique stores on Royal where $75,000 for a canopied bed is
not uncommon, from T-shirt shops on Bourbon to the upscale department stores
of New Orleans Centre near the SuperDome and Canal Place at the edge of the
Quarter. Tourist boutiques are concentrated in Riverwalk near the Convention
Center and Jackson Brewery on Decatur, which, for those who like these trendy
national chains, has a Hard Rock Cafe and (coming soon) Planet Hollywood.
Everyone asks about safety in New Orleans. The answer is that crime, while
a problem in New Orleans as elsewhere in urban America, shouldn╒t be of
unusual concern for visitors who use standard precautions, such as avoiding
dark side streets late at night. A recent report on urban crime in Money
magazine did not even list New Orleans in the top 15 cities for crime per capita.
Wealthy residential areas and poverty-stricken neighborhoods often are side-by-
side in New Orleans, though, so travelers should stay aware of where they╒re
wandering. Your hotel can advise on specifics.
SIDEBAR: EATING YOUR WAY AROUND NEW ORLEANS
In New Orleans, good food is at least as important as sex or a career. Local
delicacies are as varied as boiled crawfish, oyster pie, pompano in a paper bag,
red beans and rice, chicken and sausage okra gumbo, French-fried potato po-boys
and bubble gum sno-cones. New Orleans Creole food -- not Cajun food, which is
a country cousin of Creole and not widely available in New Orleans -- is one of the
unique cuisines of the United States.
As food is such an integral part of the New Orleans experience, interliners
may want to begin their dining tour in the suburban areas around the airport.
(For all the restaurants, prices for one, without drinks, wine or tip, are:
Inexpensive, Under $10, Moderate, $10-$29; Expensive, $30 an up.) Andrea╒s
(3100 19th in Metairie) is a perennial winner of awards as one of the best Italian
restaurants in the area. Moderate. About 25 miles west of the airport, through
swamps via I-10 and I-55 to Manchac, is Middendorf╒s, a classic Louisiana
seafood house specializing in catfish. Moderate. Another off-the-beaten track
spot is Mosca╒s, across the Huey P. Long Bridge at 4137 U.S. Hwy. 90 West.
Mosca╒s is the quintessential Italian-Creole roadhouse, plain on the outside but
full of laughter and good food inside. Oysters Mosca is one of the great dishes of
New Orleans, plump oysters baked with olive oil, herbs, garlic and bread crumbs.
Moderate.
But good eating goes into high gear in the city limits of New Orleans.
One-half of the fine restaurants listed in The WPA Guide to New Orleans in
1938 still are in business almost 60 years later, a record for longevity likely
unmatched in any other American city. But besides the old-line classics such as
Antoine╒s, Galatoire╒s, Arnaud╒s, Tujacques, and Commander╒s Palace, a
revisionist generation of chefs at newly famous restaurants such as Mister B╒s,
Bayona, Peristyle, Emeril╒s , The Windsor Court Grill and NOLA, has restated
and reinvigorated New Orleans cooking.
Start with the most New Orleans of restaurants: Galatoire╒s, on Bourbon
Street but not of it. In a break with tradition, Galatoire╒s now accepts credit cards,
but still not reservations. Wait in the line on Bourbon and meet the locals who
love this French-Creole place, or come early for dinner or late for lunch to avoid
the crowd. Jackets for men at dinner here. Galatoire╒s is one of the few spots
with a formal dress code, although fine restaurants in New Orleans tend to be
dressier than in most other cities. Galatoire╒s is a single large room, mirror-
lined and loud. The waiters, many of them there for decades, can be brusque, but
never haughty or mean-spirited. The platonic meal here is oysters en brochette,
trout meuniere almandine, puffy brabant potatoes, crusty French bread and dark,
rich Galatoire╒s coffee, served in a silver pot. Moderate to Expensive.
Not far away, at 430 Dauphine, is one of the best of the newer restaurants,
Bayona. Chef Susan Spicer came to fame at the Bistro at Maison de Ville, then
opened this larger place. The menu is eclectic, mixing Caribbean, California,
classic Creole and other elements in surprising new ways. Moderate to
Expensive.
For a big splurge in New Orleans, you can╒t go wrong at Commander╒s
Palace, in a lovely Garden District setting at 1430 Washington. Commander╒s
has the best turtle soup in New Orleans, with superb veal and seafood entrees.
The service is impeccable. Expensive.
But you don╒t have to spend a lot of money to eat well in New Orleans.
Mother╒s, on Poydras near the Convention Center and the Mississippi River, is
now open all day. A speciality is the roast beef debris po-boy. Inexpensive. For
another special New Orleans sandwich, try a muffaletta at Central Grocery, 923
Decatur in the Quarter. It╒s a uniquely New Orleans concoction of olive salad,
meats and a special round bread. Inexpensive.
For oysters and other seafood at moderate cost, try the Acme Oyster House at
724 Iberville in the Quarter, Inexpensive to Moderate, or Casamento╒s,
Inexpensive, Uptown on Magazine near Napoleon. Uglesich╒s, 1238 Baronne,
is in a bad neighborhood, but business people flock here for oysters shucked to
order. Inexpensive.
Steak lovers, surprisingly enough in this seafood town, will find some of the
best red meat anywhere in a New Orleans-style steak, traditionally served sizzling
in butter with parsley. Ruth╒s Chris Steak House, the world╒s largest premium
steak house chain, got its start here. The location at 711 N. Broad Street is usually
packed with locals, enjoying big steaks with a little politics on the side.
Expensive.
New Orleans has many neighborhood restaurants off the tourist track.
Among the classics: Mandina╒s at 3800 Canal, Moderate; Upperline at 1413
Upperline, Moderate; Compagno╒s at 7839 St. Charles, Moderate; Ye Olde
College Inn at 3016 S. Carrollton, Inexpensive to Moderate; Liuzza╒s at 234 N.
Telemachus, Moderate; and the 24-hour Hummingbird Grill at 804 St. Charles
in the wino district, Inexpensive; Delmonico, 1300 St. Charles, Moderate.
One of the many memorable smells of New Orleans is its coffee, roasting in
the warehouse district or wafting up from cafes. Coffee in New Orleans often has
chicory in it, which gives it a thicker, richer taste. At the Cafe du Monde in the
French Market, open 24 hours a day every day, have a cup au lait with an order
of beignets. Inexpensive. P.J.╒s is the original gourmet speciality coffee shop in
New Orleans, now with several locations. Inexpensive.
You can even get a great hamburger in New Orleans, a half-pound one at
Port of Call, 838 Esplanade at the edge of the Quarter, Inexpensive, one cooked
under a car hubcap at the Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon, Inexpensive, or a diner-
style burger at the Camellia Grill on S. Carrollton at the Riverbend,
Inexpensive.
For dessert on a hot summer day, even better than those sticky pralines
(which few New Orleanians care much for, anyway) are sno-cones, made of finely
shaved -- not crushed -- ice with flavors and perhaps other toppings poured on.
Hansen╒s Sno-Blitz, 4801 Tchoupitoulas (CHOP-a-tu-lus) is the most-famous, and
perhaps the best, of the sno-cone shops, which are generally open in warm
weather only. Inexpensive.
Almost Good Enough to Be Great Anywhere Else:
The average restaurant in New Orleans is better than most great restaurants
in cities where people don╒t love food. Here are restaurants you╒ll enjoy because
they╒re almost good enough to be great anywhere else:
Mister B╒s, 201 Royal. Moderate. A new classic that never fails to please.
Emeril╒s, 800 Tchoupitoulas. Founded by the former head chef at
Commander╒s. Expensive.
Bistro at Maison de Ville, 733 Toulouse. Moderate to Expensive.
Brigtsen╒s, 723 Dante Uptown. Moderate to Expensive.
La Provence, in Macombe. A country inn with impeccable food. Expensive.
Charlie╒s Steak House, 4510 Dryades. Authentic New Orleans neighborhood
steak house. ╥Guard on duty.╙ Moderate.
Bud╒s Broiler. Several locations. What McDonald╒s would have been if it had
been founded in New Orleans.
Arnaud╒s, 813 Bienville. The best shrimp remoulade in New Orleans, and the
excellent veal dishes. Moderate to Expensive.
Coop╒s, 1109 Decatur. Cheap, good, popular. Inexpensive.
Versailles, 2100 St. Charles. French and formal, on the Avenue. Expensive.
Angelo Brocato, 214 N. Carrollton and 537 St. Ann. The finest Italian ices in
New Orleans.
# # #
SIDEBAR: THE MUSIC OF NEW ORLEANS
(Thanks to STEVE APPLE, New Orleans music aficionado, for his
recommendations on music spots in the Crescent City.)
If food is the joy of New Orleans, music is its soul. Music is everywhere in the
city, from street musicians in the Quarter to R&B clubs Uptown. Venues and
players change constantly. Best advice is to pick up a copy of Gambit newspaper
on arrival and check out the entertainment listings. Most of the hippest clubs are
outside the French Quarter. Admission ranges from a dollar or two to $15 or
more.
Among the perennially popular music spots are: Snug Harbor, 626
Frenchman, a long-time favorite for live music, as is Tipitina╒s, Uptown at 501
Napoleon; Preservation Hall , 726 St. Peter, world-famous for authentic old New
Orleans jazz; House of Blues, 225 Decatur, new and, despite its large size, often
is standing room only; Mid-City Lanes, 4133 S Carrollton, a great place to check
out live music, especially big-name Zydeco of the calibre of C.J. Chenier and Beau
Jocque; Maple Leaf , 8316 Oak, favorite club of many music conoscenti in the
city, very casual, featuring weekly gigs by up-and-coming bands; Mulate╒s, at 201
Julia, one of the few Cajun restaurants in the Crescent City, offering tourists a
chance to pass a good time with music and two-step dancing nightly;
Margaritaville, 1104 Decatur, owned by Jimmy Buffet -- if you're a parrothead,
you'll love it. Other in spots include Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres at Frenchman,
Cafe Istanbul, 532 Frenchman, and Jimmy's, 8200 Willow Street.
WWOZ, WTUL and WWNO are among the FM radio stations playing New
Orleans music.
SIDEBARS: HOTELS OF NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans has more than 25,000 hotel rooms in hundreds of hotels and
inns. The hotels listed here are only a few of the choices.
The city went through a hotel building boom in the early 1980s, getting ready
for the 1994 World╒s Fair -- which locals loved but not enough visitors visited. But,
after the financial fiasco of the Fair and the Oil Bust of the mid-1980s, few new
hotels were built in New Orleans. The result? A vastly under-hoteled city,
especially during special events such as the Super Bowl (which has been held in
New Orleans more than any other city), the Sugar Bowl, Jazz Fest and Mardi
Gras, and also during big conventions. When coming to the city from October to
April, you are well advised to book ahead. Summer occupancies, and prices, are
lower, although even then a large convention -- such as the American Bar
Association meeting in August 1994 -- can fill up most of the hotels.
With the coming of gaming, a new round of hotel conversions and new
development is taking place.
Hotels are rated from one to five stars:
* Okay in a pinch
* * Better than average
* * * Nice place, good value
* * * * Excellent accommodations
* * * * * Among the best hotels in the country
Rates, for a double in season but not during special events, are:
Inexpensive: Under $65 a night
Moderate: $65 to $125
Expensive: Over $125 (Very Expensive means usually over $200)
Note that rates can vary a good deal at a hotel even within the same season,
depending on special events and convention bookings.
Here are hotels that offer something special, in ambiance, location or value:
* * * * * WINDSOR COURT, 300 Gravier, near but not in the French Quarter.
This is New Orleans╒ best. All rooms are suites, and all are tastefully furnished
with English and other antiques and reproductions. Very Expensive.
* * * * WESTIN CANAL PLACE, 100 Iberville, right at the edge of the Quarter
on the Mississippi River, near the Aquarium of the Americas, and in the Canal
Place downtown shopping center. One of the best of the chain hotels. It╒s a
highrise with great views from the premium price rooms of the Quarter and the
River. Very Expensive.
* * * * MAISON DE VILLE, 727 Toulouse (across the street from The
Dungeon). Lovely small, 23-room inn, in a building that dates from 1783. The
hotel╒s courtyard is a wonderful place to have coffee and croissants under a
banana tree. The Bistro at the Maison de Ville, next door, is an excellent
restaurant. Some rooms are small, so spring for the best. Expensive. Under
same management are the Audubon Cottages, extremely nice, Very Expensive.
* * * * OMNI ROYAL ORLEANS , 621 St. Louis. The ╥Royal O╙ long has been
a class act. Wonderful location in the heart of the Quarter. Some rooms are a bit
small -- get a suite if you can. Be sure to visit the observation deck seven stories
up. Rib Room restaurant popular with locals, too. Expensive.
* * * PROVINCIAL, 1024 Chartres, in the Quarter, though a bit away from
the heart of it. Excellent value. One of the few hotels in the Quarter with free
parking (valet). Attractive rooms with antique reproductions (a few rooms can be
noisy.) Management has recently changed, and it╒s unclear if this will affect
any part of the operation. Moderate.
* * * LE RICHELIEU, 1234 Chartres, in the Quarter two blocks from the
Provincial. Another good value. Attractive, spotless rooms. Well-managed. Free
on-premises self-park. Moderate.
* * * CHATEAU MOTOR HOTEL, 1001 Chartres, in the Quarter. Superb
value. Not quite as nice as the Provincial and Le Richelieu, but most guests seem
to like it. Low Moderate.
* * * PLACE D╒ARMES, 625 St. Ann. Unbeatable French Quarter location
near Jackson Square. Friendly staff, pleasant rooms (though some are interior
rooms with no windows). Parking, but at a fee. Moderate.
* * * HOLIDAY INN CHATEAU LE MOYNE, 301 Dauphine in the Quarter.
Yes, this is a Holiday Inn, but like no other Holiday Inn you╒ve seen. (Don╒t
confuse with the Holiday Inn on Royal Street, less desirable, the Holiday Inn at
the SuperDome -- forget it -- or the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, a good convention
hotel downtown near the Convention Center. The HI Chateau Le Moyne occupies
a series of 19th century buildings with charming French Quarter atmosphere.
Good management. Moderate to Expensive.
* * * DAUPHINE ORLEANS, 415 Dauphine. Large, comfortable rooms, some
a bit garishly decorated, spread over buildings separated by Dauphine Street.
Moderate to Expensive.
* * * PONTCHARTRAIN HOTEL, 2031 St. Charles. This hotel has a very New
Orleans feel. Good bar and restaurant. Most rooms recently renovated. Billed as
being in the Garden District, and on the street car line, the hotel itself is fine, but
don╒t stray far, especially not toward the Lake, which locals call the Gar-bawge
District. Expensive.
* * PARKVIEW GUEST HOUSE, 7004 St. Charles Avenue across from Tulane
University. Pleasant small inn, some rooms with shared bath. One of the most
beautiful settings in New Orleans, right on the street car line adjoining Audubon
Park. Inexpensive to Moderate.
* * QUALITY INN MAISON ST. CHARLES, 1319 St. Charles. Pleasant motel
on the street car line, but don╒t wander out after dark. Moderate.
* * LA QUINTA INN, the locations on the West Bank Expressway in Gretna
and Causeway Boulevard in Metairie. Due to previous overbuilding and the
impact of the oil patch slump, the New Orleans suburbs don╒t yet have their
share of budget chain lodging. The La Quintas, of which these two are the most
convenient to New Orleans, are among the best of a mediocre bunch.
Inexpensive.
Others worth considering:
* * * * Hotel Inter-Continental, 444 St. Charles. In the Central Business
District across from the tallest building in Louisiana, One Shell Square.
Expensive.
* * * * Fairmont, University Place. In the CBD, less than a block from the
Quarter. Grand old lady, earlier famous as the Roosevelt. Be sure to get a
renovated room. Locally popular coffee shop. Expensive.
* * * * Le Meridien, 614 Canal. Expensive to Very Expensive.
* * * Grenoble House, 329 Dauphine. Apartment-style units. Expensive.
* * * Hotel Ste. Helene, 508 Chartres. Expensive.
* * * Saint Louis Hotel, 730 Bienville. Expensive.
* * * Royal Sonesta, 300 Bourbon. Too much Bourbon for some, others like it.
Expensive.
* * * MONTELEONE, 214 Royal. The largest hotel in the Quarter (600 rooms)
-- often you can get reservations here when other places are booked. Not the best
hotel in the Quarter, and rooms vary, but okay. Expensive.
* * * Soniat House, 1133 Chartres. Expensive.
* * * Lafayette Hotel, 600 St. Charles. A fair walk from the Quarter. Good
location for attorneys. Expensive.
* * * LaMothe House, 621 Esplanade at edge of Quarter near the Marigny
area. Beautifully furnished. Expensive.
* * * Hilton Airport, 901 Airline Highway, Kenner. If you really have to stay at
the airport, this is the best choice. Expensive.
Think twice before committing to one of these:
* * * NEW ORLEANS HILTON, Poydras at the Mississippi. If you want a
convention hotel that╒s really convenient to the Convention Center, this is a good
choice. For the vacation visitor, it╒s too big (1600 rooms), too little like New
Orleans, and too pricey for what you get. Very Expensive.
* * * HYATT REGENCY, Poydras at Loyola. Fine if you need to be near the
SuperDome or New Orleans Centre shopping complex, but not convenient to most
other areas of interest to visitors, including the French Quarter. Safe area by day
-- better take a cab at night.
* * * MARRIOTT, 555 Canal. One of the ugliest buildings in Louisiana.
Squats like a giant, 41-story brutalist ox at the edge of the Vieux CarrÄ. Very
Expensive.
* * CLARION, 1500 Canal. Used by many tour groups. Rooms are okay, but
the location is iffy, near projects and on a scruffy urban street. If you stay here,
take the hotel shuttle to the Quarter. Moderate.
* * LANDMARK FRENCH QUARTER, 920 Rampart. Currently this is the
╥bad╙ edge of the Quarter, across from Louis Armstrong Park and near housing
projects. Moderate.
* DAYS INN, 1630 Canal Street. Like the Clarion, in a marginal area not safe
for walking. Moderate.
* SHONEY╒S INN, Clearview Parkway, Metairie. Needs refurbishing badly.
Bed & Breakfasts in New Orleans
True B&Bs, for unfathomable political reasons, are technically illegal in
Orleans Parish. However, many B&Bs and B&B-like inns operate, and it╒s no
crime to stay at them.
Here are the names of a few. For more information, try calling the New
Orleans Bed & Breakfast Reservations Service, (504) 838-0071.
Dusty Mansion; Annabelle's House B&B; Jensen's B&B; Bougainvillea
House; Lafitte Guest House; Dauzat Guest House; Duvigneaud House; Edgar
Degas House; Fairchild House; Sully Mansion; Royal Barracks; Garden
District B&B; Essem's House; Ludlow House; Le Faubourg-Marigny B&B; and
St. Charles Avenue Pension.
SIDEBAR: NEW ORLEANS NEIGHBORHOODS
There╒s more to New Orleans than the French Quarter. Here╒s a brief look at
some of the neighborhoods of New Orleans, many worth visiting:
Vieux CarrÄ: The French Quarter, where most tourists congregate.
CBD: The Central Business District, which abuts the French Quarter,
juxtaposing modern skyscrapers with 18th and 19th century low-rises.
Warehouse District: Trendy area near the Convention Center with lots of new
residential, restaurant and club development.
Marigny: Just down river, across Esplanade, from the Quarter -- mostly
residential but with some good restaurants and clubs.
Mid-City: Residential and commercial area now famous as the site, at the
Fairgrounds horse racing track, of Jazz Fest. Some good and some very bad
neighborhoods coexist in Mid-City.
Irish Channel: On the River side of Magazine Street, parts of which are also
called the Lower Garden District. Some gentrification and B&B development
here, along with a good deal of plain old poverty.
Garden District: This beautiful section, bounded by Jackson Avenue, St.
Charles Avenue, Magazine Street, and Louisiana Avenue, has many of the city╒s
most blue-blooded residents and fanciest mansions.
Uptown: Locals say Uptown is a state of mind as much as a geographic
locale. It╒s a broad term encompassing most of the area Uptown -- that is, up
river -- from the CBD, including the Garden District, Irish Channel and
University areas. Its spine is St. Charles Avenue. Crime has driven many
residents out to ╥the parishes╙ and kept real estate prices down, but it is still home
to many of the most-upscale and traditional New Orleanians. It has many
extraordinarily beautiful residential areas and parks.
University District: The area around Tulane and Loyola universities.
New Orleans East: Technically this is a specific area of Eastern New Orleans,
but many refer to the whole depressing, lower middle-class suburban area along
I-10 toward Slidell as New Orleans East.
West Bank: Algiers (part of New Orleans) and a number of Jefferson Parish
towns are across the Greater New Orleans Bridges. You can also get here on the
free ferry which boards at the foot of Canal Street.
East Bank Jefferson Parish: Metairie is your typical suburb, home of David
Duke, ex-Klanner, and Sheriff Harry Lee, a 350-pounder of Chinese ancestry
popular with white voters for his disdain for black-dominated Orleans Parish and
the African-Americans who live in Jefferson Parish. Not much of interest here
for visitors, except for a few restaurants and mall shopping. Kenner is home to
New Orleans International, formerly called Moissant Airport and named, in
standard New Orleans fashion, for a pioneer aviator who crashed.
Old Metairie: Upscale neighborhood just west of the Orleans Parish line, the
Uptown of Jefferson.
Lakefront: Attractive residential areas near Lake Pontchartrain.
SIDEBAR: SHOPPING FOR UNIQUELY NEW ORLEANS ITEMS
You╒ll have no trouble finding T-shirt shops and glitzy malls in and around
New Orleans. But what about shopping for those uniquely New Orleans items?
Here are a few suggestions for the hate-to-shop crowd:
New Orleans Food: Schwegmann Giant Super Markets are huge groceries
filled with all the special New Orleans food items such as hot sauces, coffees and
spices at prices well below those in the tourist shops. You can even buy
Schwegmann brand gin and bourbon. Several locations around the city. Martin
Wine Cellar is one of the best wine and gourmet food shops in the South, with a
number of local items. The original location at 3827 Baronne is in a rough area,
but go there anyway -- there are friendly guards in the parking lot to take care of
your car. Langenstein╒s, at 1330 Arabella, a nice Uptown area, is a small but
interesting grocery with many New Orleans specialities.
Bookstores: The Maple Street Bookstore (best location is the original, at 7523
Maple in the University District) is locally owned, with lots of New Orleans titles.
George Herget Books, Crescent City Books, Beckham╒s Book Shop, Faulkner Books
and Librairie Books, all in the Quarter, are among the antiquarian/used book
stores with many volumes about New Orleans.
Posters: Poster art is big business in New Orleans, with old Jazz Fest and
Carnival Posters often selling for many hundreds of dollars. Many frame shops
and art galleries make a market in collector╒s editions of New Orleans posters.
Shop around.
Records, tapes and CDs: Take home some real New Orleans, take home
some music. Among the record shops with mucho New Orleans stuff are Jim
Russell Rare Records on Magazine, Tower Records in the Quarter, and Record
Ron╒s, with three Quarter locations.
SIDEBAR: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NEW ORLEANS
Perhaps the best guidebook to the city is the old WPA Guide to New Orleans
(1938, reprinted by Pantheon Books in 1983). It╒s still remarkably useful.
Of the modern guides, the best may be The Dolphin Guide to New Orleans, by
New Orleanian Carolyn Kolb (now sadly out of print). Frommer╒s, Fodor╒s,
Gault/Milau and other national guides cover New Orleans adequately enough,
and Gretna-based Pelican Publishing does several interesting guides to the city.
Some of the best non-fiction, non-guide books about New Orleans are these:
A Short History of New Orleans, by Mel Leavitt. Leavitt was well-known in
New Orleans as a newsman and local historian.
New Orleans Unmasqued, by S. Frederick Starr, an affectionate series of
sketches by a knowledgeable outsider.
Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children, by John Chase -- wonderful look at the
names and places of New Orleans, by a noted, now-deceased local artist and
writer.
Novels set in New Orleans worth re-reading:
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole -- classic, dark comedy
about New Orleans, published after the author committed suicide in despondency
over the rejection of his book by many publishers.
A Hall of Mirrors, by Robert Stone, about the undersides of New Orleans and
religion.
All the King╒s Men, by Robert Penn Warren. Classic about Huey P. Long, who
was about as un-New Orleans a guy as there ever was.
Lives of the Saints, by Nancy Lemann. Uptown New Orleans dissected
beautifully.
The Moviegoer. By the late, great Walker Percy, who lived north of Lake
Pontchartrain.
Dinner at Antoine╒s, by Frances Parkinson Keyes, a mystery and
psychological study which begins with a meal at the restaurant, was written in
1948, but it╒s still a good read.
Several of Anne Rice╒s novels, such as Feast of All Saints, are set in New
Orleans, where she lives now in Uptown splendor. James Lee Burke╒s Cajun
detective Dave Robicheaux appeals to some.
New Orleans has been the setting, or the inspiration, of more than 300
movies, many focusing on the most-theatrical of times in New Orleans, Carnival.
Among the best of the talkies about New Orleans are ╥New Orleans╙ (1947) with
Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and other jazz stars; ╥WUSA╙ (1970), based on the
Stone novel, A Hall of Mirrors; ╥Jezebel╙ (1938) with Bette Davis; ╥Louisiana
Purchase╙ (1941) staring Bob Hope; and ╥Easy Rider,╙ the 1969 cult film, ╥Easy
Rider,╙ and ╥Cat People,╙ (1982) with the deeply sexy Natassia Kinski. Among the
most-insipid: Pat Boone╒s ╥Mardi Gras╙ (1958), ╥Abbott and Costello Go to Mars╙
(1953) wherein the dotty duo land in New Orleans at Mardi Gras and think they╒re
among aliens, and ╥The Swarm,╙ (1978) in which killer bees attack the
SuperDome.
For visitor information, contact the Greater New Orleans Tourist and
Convention Commission, 529 St.Ann Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, tel. (504)
566-5031.
# # #
Lan Sluder, who lives in Asheville, N.C., is a former newspaper editor in
New Orleans. A travel writer with credits in Caribbean Travel and Life, The
New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald and more than 100 other
publications, he also publishes Belize First magazine, which is devoted to travel
and life in Belize and the Caribbean Coast of Central America. A version of this
article appears in the October 1994 issue of ASU Travel Magazine, the magazine
for 700,000 airline employees.